Summer's dream

Gardening resolutions - whether made in January or any other time of the year - generally last about 10 minutes, but we still make them. There's something nice about mulling over plans, and if the thoughts hover in the depths of our subconscious, eventually they should have some influence, shouldn't they? In spite of all the flooding in 2007, drought is still the biggest problem for those of us gardening on light soils. So first I'm going to mulch everywhere. Then I'm going to assess each plant in my garden to see whether there is a more drought-tolerant alternative. There are more rewarding summer gardening jobs than lugging watering cans about. We'd love gardeners to volunteer on a Trees for Cities planting day, to help make some bleak urban spaces a little greener. Or you could sponsor a tree. It's not just about London - this year we are planting in Bristol, Leeds, Addis Ababa and Nairobi.